(R)EVOLUTION - Annie Easley

Annie Easley – Pioneer of hybrid vehicle batteries

The history of the automobile is not limited to the manufacturers and engineers of the industry. It is also shaped by women and men from sometimes unexpected backgrounds, whose passion and perseverance have paved the way for technologies that are now indispensable. Among them, the American Annie Easley (1933–2011) occupies a unique place.

Born in an America still marked by segregation, Annie Easley chose early on to pursue a career in science despite the obstacles she faced. When she joined NASA in the 1950s, she was one of the “human computers” who, before the era of modern computers, performed thousands of complex calculations by hand. A tenacious and passionate autodidact, she learned computer programming as soon as the first computers appeared and quickly became a key figure in her team.

In the 1980s and 1990s, she devoted part of her career to developing codes to optimise energy conversion systems. Her work went beyond the space industry and found an unexpected application in the automotive sector, which was seeking cleaner solutions. Annie Easley thus contributed to the improvement of nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, which are denser, more durable and better suited to repeated charge and discharge cycles.

These advances came to fruition in 1996, when General Motors equipped its first hybrid vehicles with NiMH batteries. For the first time, a car could combine a combustion engine and an electric motor with credible range and increased energy efficiency. Behind this decisive milestone lies the legacy of the patient and often discreet research of Annie Easley and her colleagues.

But her story is not limited to her technical contributions. Annie Easley also served as a role model and mentor. As an African-American woman in a field dominated by white men, she had to demonstrate exceptional determination to prove her competence and gain recognition. She then used this experience to help others, encouraging younger generations – particularly women and minorities – to pursue careers in science.

Today, as hybrid and electric vehicles become more common on our roads, her legacy lives on. Annie Easley not only contributed to the evolution of batteries: she embodied a pioneering vision of science that was inclusive, forward-looking and at the service of society. Her career reminds us that the car of tomorrow is the result not only of technical innovations, but also of the courage and tenacity of those who, often working behind the scenes, have broken new ground.